A YELLOW Sherrin sits at the front porch of Nathan Hrovat’s house, worn-in but still with enough life to bounce off the boot. Inside, in the living room, there’s another footy, this one in a little better shape and with the midfielder’s surname marked next to the laces.
At the top of the staircase hangs a signed and framed Collingwood jumper. In one corner of the poolroom stands a trophy cabinet, full of medals and photos from the midfielder’s junior career.
When he opens the curtains, an outdoor gym on the verandah is revealed, where Hrovat has sweated through sessions since his 17th birthday last June. The extra light in the room directs more attention to a few other things inside, too.
Underneath Hrovat’s under-12s Victorian jumper, itself framed, autographed and pinned to a wall, sits his bounty of trophies collected this season.
There’s the Vic Metro most valuable player award, next to the Northern Knights best and fairest, which is nestled between Metro’s best and fairest trophy, and a signed football from the APS representative team Hrovat captained near the end of the season.
His All Australian jumper, earned after an excellent NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, is in the process of being framed, a new addition to a room already brimming with honours. It all makes for one thing.
“It’s been a pretty good year for me, I’ve been pretty happy with it,” Hrovat tells AFL.com.au with the big smile that defines him almost as much as his ball-winning ability.
There’s a couple of key reasons behind Hrovat’s season; one is that he’s really talented.
Hrovat has always been a good footballer, capable of digging into packs, coming up with the ball then running off with it or finding a teammate. But he hasn’t always had the discipline to match that ability.
The second major factor in his rise as a possible first-round selection at this year’s NAB AFL Draft is a jolt that came at the start of 2011 from Carey Grammar coach, and two-time North Melbourne premiership player, David King.
King told Hrovat he needed to work harder, corners needed to stop being cut, he had to train more, for longer, and in a more professional way.
“We really challenged him. He always played comfortably and never trained overly hard,” says King.
King worked Hrovat hard throughout 2011. At every meeting, he would speak to him and about his influence, and did the same every half-time break. Hrovat didn’t enjoy his best year, but he learned a few things.
At the end of the season he had a plan. It revolved around getting fitter and stronger. As one of the shortest midfielders in the draft (listed at 176cm and 76kg), Hrovat recognised he needed to improve his strengths to the point his height was irrelevant.
Over Christmas he and his family went to the Gold Coast for a holiday. Hrovat paid for a week-long membership at a local gym, and ran along the beach regularly. Kris took him to Metricon Stadium for a run, but when the gates were locked they drove to Southport’s home ground instead to make sure the session happened.
“It wasn’t a relaxing summer, I can assure you of that,” Hrovat says.
He also organised to meet with North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey, a player of similar stature to Hrovat. Harvey’s father-in-law lives in the same street as Hrovat, and helped tee up the meeting. Several more catch-ups throughout the season, to talk about breakaway speed, fitness, kicking, and what to expect about the draft, broadened the relationship.
Hrovat saw the benefit during this year. He had a stronger body that didn’t get pushed off the ball, and he could run out games better than before. During the national carnival, he played all five of Vic Metro’s games and averaged 25 disposals.
Hrovat is a busy player: he’s quick to shoot off handballs, spins out of trouble and hits targets on both feet. He takes lots of short quick steps when in the clear and keeps his feet when fighting for the ball.
“I’ve been told my whole life that I’m too short, I’m no good and I’m not going to make it. But I never let that really worry me,” Hrovat says.
“I worked to my strengths and tried to work on them so I could separate myself from those other players. That’s really helped me this year, my inside game has developed and my decision-making has developed as well. Those aspects I was able to work on to separate myself even though of my height.”
At times, however, he has wondered if it was the reason behind things. When he missed out on a game with Vic Metro as a bottom-aged player last year, and didn’t even get a chance during a trial game, he thought it could have been because of his height.
“But looking back on it, nothing’s ever going to be about your size. It’s about if you’re good enough. That’s what all these AFL clubs in the interviews are saying. Looking back at my mentality, it was a really negative one.
“But my personality didn’t let it get me down. I just wanted to go again and again and keep going at it.”
Hrovat hasn’t really stopped since his season finished. Even last week, between studying for exams, he was training at the athletics track, making sure if he’ll be ready for that happens next.
“He was our captain this year and he embraces everybody,” says Northern Knights region manager Peter Kennedy.
“I’ve never seen him attend a training session down in the dumps or moody. He’s always up. Nathan’s having a good day every day, and he’s been preparing for this opportunity for two years.”
